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Superfunds March 2015
Naomi Edwards can tell some horror stories about
her first years in the super industry, where her role
entailed doing actuarial calculations for defined
benefit schemes in the late 1980s. Edwards
says she was occasionally on the receiving end
of inappropriate innuendo and harassment. “I
remember that one of my first bosses had a
calendar on the wall with naked women on it,
which I wrote to the company chairman about
and got removed,” she recalls.
Another experience saw Edwards confronted
with a row of naked men at work, after she had
come out of the company showers following her
marathon training, and while it is hard to imagine
today, Edwards says it was just part of the job. “In
those days, we just thought it was the ‘rough and
tumble’ of life, but looking back, it was pretty bad
behaviour.”
It was in this environment that Edwards
began carving out an area where she could
feel comfortable. “In the early days, women
ascending the corporate ladder were hampered
by the corporate environment of footy chatter,
golf events and boozy lunches. None of these
are a natural place for women to network in,
particularly young women.” To counter this,
Edwards says women have forced themselves
to be considered due to their qualifications,
articulation and hard work ethic. “Women are still
excluded from many informal men’s’ networks,”
says Edwards. “It is a truism that we tend to
recruit people who are like us, so, to overcome
this, women should work hard to find a mentor
that will involve them in their networks.”
Edward’s current role as chairman of Tasplan
has seen her spearheading negotiation campaigns
between three of Tasmania’s superannuation
funds, using the skills she has acquired from her
early years working within a sometimes hostile
setting. Edwards hopes that these negotiations
will create a ‘powerhouse’ not just for Tasmania’s
superannuation funds but also Australian funds
more widely. “I think it will be wonderful for
Tasmania to retain state-based superannuation
funds. It has been a real privilege to take on these
negotiations for the betterment of all members
and Tasmanian super,” says Edwards.
Moving into a consultancy, then a non-
executive role after her time as an actuary,
Edwards still uses numbers to help explain her
position on gender equality. Like Ralph, she states
that the evidence is unequivocal: “companies
with women on the board perform better than
ones without. In super, it is particularly important
because most of our members are women,
and they are also often the decision-makers in
households”.
Naomi Edwards
Chairman, Tasplan